TIRANA – Investment in aquaculture farms will receive grants under the European Union’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance for Rural Development (IPARD II) worth of EUR 94 million co-financed by the Albanian government and the EU.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Albania says it will fund 65 per cent of the investment in new farms or projects on expansion of the existing aquaculture farms.
The IPARD II programme will start this spring and the grant of 93 million euros will be injected to support investment projects in the country’s rural areas and give a fresh impetus to agriculture and rural development in Albania.
Grants will cover 65 per cent ofthe investment value for construction or reconstruction of small lakes and reservoirs; equipment to increase efficiency of the production process, feeding optimization, fish feeding equipment or automatic feeding equipment, equipment for the construction of the water circulation system; equipment for improving the quality and hygiene conditions of fish production and harvesting; waste management systems, drainage equipment from reservoirs and small lakes as well as those for monitoring the water quality parameters; Setting up small storage facilities for refrigerators.
Albania’s aquaculture has emerged as a fast growing sector over the past few years. Data from the country’s National Institute of Statistics show that more than 3250 tons of fish grew in aquaculture farms across country in 2016 alone.
Sector operators argue that the growth trend is a consequence of the rapid increase in seafood consumption.
Reservoirs are mainly built in the country’s coastal areas, such as Durrës, Lezha, Shkodra, Vlora and Saranda. With great opportunities for export, this business is considered one of the most potential in the country.